Gina Hall's Bianchi Cross Concept

	Photo ©: Rob Karman

Hall-ing ass!

By Steve Medcroft

Hall chooses the tried but true Shimano Dura-Ace drivetrain, Photo ©: Steve Medcroft

Empella's Frog Legs cantilever brakes Photo ©: Steve Medcroft

Fi'zi:k's Vitesse saddle Photo ©: Steve Medcroft

Cane Creek's Volos wheels Photo ©: Steve Medcroft

If you saw any of the six U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross races, you couldn't miss Gina Hall. Not only for her unique tattoos wrapped around her upper right arm, but the fact that in every USGP contest, she was a factor at the front of each race (Hall won the Tacoma, Washington event, came second and third twice and fifth once). Such was also the case at the recent US 'Cross Nationals in Portland, Oregon too, where Hall finished second to winner Katie Compton.

Although her named sponsor on the sign-in sheets seemed to vary from cyclocrossworld.com to Missing Link (a grassroots team based out of Northern California), her bike sponsor has remained the same: Bianchi. Hall rides Bianchi's Cross Concept, which features a Scandium 7000 front end, a variable-shaped (oval to square) top tube and a carbon rear triangle. We asked Hall about her 52cm version of the bike (which is built with a 72.5 degree head tube and 74 degree seat tube), and about her choice of components and set-up.

She started by saying that the frame and fork is right off-the-shelf, with no modifications. "I'm sponsored by Easton, so I put their stuff [bars, seatpost, stem] on it as well," Hall adds. For the drivetrain, Gina's recycled the nine-speed Shimano Dura-Ace group off her last 'cross bike instead of upgrading to 10-speed. "Nine-speed [Dura-Ace] is tried and true, I know it works. I didn't want to complicate things by trying something that's new to me," she says.

Hall runs USGP sponsor Crank Brother's Eggbeater Triple Ti pedals. "I've been riding them two years and they're definitely my favorite pedal." She switched from Time, she adds, and "never has problems getting in the Eggbeaters," liking the Crank Brothers pedal system so much she runs their Candy model on her Bianchi hardtail mountain bike for the NORBA season.

She, like many top U.S. 'crossers, runs Empella's Frog Legs brakes. "I picked those because they work really well and they're lightweight," explains Hall. "I just try to pick things that are as light as possible."

Speaking of light weight, the heart of Hall's bike, the frame and fork weighs under three pounds. "It's very light. The carbon rear triangle helps with the harshness of cyclocross, and the Scandium is less harsh than most aluminum [bikes]. The sloping top tube makes it a nice stiff, accelerating bike."

"Overall," Hall says of her Bianchi Cross Concept, "it's a great bike. It handles super-well, and it's light, which is exactly what I need."

Photography

For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here

Images by Rob Karman/

• Gina Hall on her way to a silver medal at the 2004 US Cyclocross Nationals in Portland, Oregon.

Images by Steve Medcroft

• Gina Hall's Bianchi Cross Concept.
• Hall chooses the tried but true Shimano Dura-Ace drivetrain, with a 44/38 front chainring combination and Crank Brothers Eggbeater Triple Ti pedals.
• Empella's Frog Legs cantilever brakes provide the clearance, stopping power and light weight demanded by Hall.
• Fi'zi:k's Vitesse saddle sits atop an Easton carbon seatpost.
• Gina's cockpit.
• Cane Creek's Volos wheels and Dugast's handmade tubulars do the rolling.

Full specification

Frame: 2005 Bianchi Cross Concept, scandium with carbon rear, 52 cm model
Fork: Bianchi carbon with aluminum steerer tube
Colour: Celeste/navy blue/red
Geometry:
Seat tube: 520 mm (C-C)
Top tube actual: 535 mm
Top tube effective: 539 mm (effective horizontal)
Chainstay: 425 mm
Fork rake: 50 mm
Head tube angle: 72.5°
Seat tube angle: 74°
Wheelbase: 1005 mm
Standover height: 30.5 mm

Cranks: Shimano Dura-Ace 9 speed, 38/44T
Bottom bracket: Shimano Dura-Ace 9 speed
Front derailleur: Shimano Ultegra 9 speed
Rear derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace 9 speed
Brakes: Empella Frog Legs
Levers: Shimano Dura-Ace 9 speed
Rear sprockets: Shimano Dura-Ace 9 speed 12-27

Rim: Cane Creek Volos
Tyres: Dugast 700x35 hand-made tubulars

Stem: Easton EA70
Bars: Easton carbon EC90

Pedals: Crank Brothers Egg Beaters Triple Ti
Seat post: Easton carbon
Saddle: Fizik Vitesse

Weight: 17.5 lbs